1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for sharpening cutting edges of a blade and more particularly to a novel portable blade sharpener having a pair of sharpening elements adapted to be folded from an operative position into a storage position so that the apparatus may be readily transported from place to place or placed in a storage location.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A variety of prior blade sharpeners have been employed in the past for sharpening the cutting edges of blades and such prior devices are shown and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,362 and more recently in U.S. Pat. No. 4,231, 194. Although these devices are useful in the sharpening of cutting edges, difficulaties and problems have been encountered which stem largely from the fact that the sharpening elements and the base for supporting them are separate and require assemblage and disassemblage for use and storage. Also, when in the storage condition, the diassembled parts require a separate package such as a plastic envelope or the like which keeps all of the elements in a convenient location.
Also, difficulties have been encountered from a safety point of view inasmuch as the user's hand must be placed on a base which is close to and beneath or lower than the sharpening area in which the blade is being drawn for sharpening purposes. In many instances, the user will draw the blade across the sharpening element and when the tip of the blade terminates contact therewith, the downward pressure of the user's hand causes the cutting edge to urge the blade into contact with the hand of the user supporting the base. Obviously, this is a dangerous and undesirable situation. In the instance of the last mentioned patent, a metal rod has been incorporated into the base which serves to prevent the blade from coming into contact with the user's hand supporting the base. However, this does require an additional element in the assemblage and requires that the user properly install the rod in place prior to use.
Therefore, a long standing need has existed to provide a novel blade sharpener which is foldable between an operative and a stored position whereby the device is portable, self-contained and does not require assembly for use or disassembly for storage. Also, such a novel blade sharpening apparatus should provide for safety by eliminating the need for supporting the device from its under side during a sharpening procedure so that the user's hands are never below the cutting edge of the blade being sharpened.